"You will see our chemistry come alive on television," Henson, 40, tells PEOPLE, while Howard, 41, adds: "You're going to see what friends are about. Soul Train represents family. She tells me I remind her of her daddy, and I tell her she reminds me of my favorite aunt. This is my family."

The program will honor R&B legends Anita Baker, 52, and Ronald Isley, 69, and Henson hints that she may surprise viewers with a few numbers herself. "

As for their duties that night, Howard says, that hosting "feels like hitting the lotto. I think a big part of my genetic culture is Soul Train. We still dance the way we saw them dance on the show. People are watching us participate in what has become a part of our dream."

"As a child, you watch television and you're like, 'I want to be on that stage one day.' Well, the show was canceled before we could get up there, so to be hosting and have that dream come true is incredible," says Henson.

And her fondest memory of the iconic show? "Anytime the Jackson Five were on there performing, I never missed it. I also love when Minnie Riperton sat on a stool and sang 'Lovin' You.' I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. And of course the soul train line!"